LeBron James did it, he finally did it. I've have the last three days to fully digest what happened this past Thursday. I just watched probably the most spectacularly dominant NBA Finals performance since Shaquille O'Neal did it in 2001 against the Sixers. I just watched the most gifted athlete alive shake off, thrust away, and shut down all the unfair criticism that had even been thrown his way. I just watched the first chapter in the second half of a truly historic NBA career unfold.
When LeBron made the Decision, I was as angry as any NBA fan. Most people were angry at him for how he did it. But I was mad at what he did. Initially, I was in the traditionalist camp. I found myself resonating with the words of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird, whose feelings about what LeBron did could be summed up with this meme.
I was shocked and appalled that the greatest talent in NBA history didn't want to show his hometown of Cleveland any loyalty, or see the value in being "The Guy" on a franchise that was his, not Dwyane Wade or Pat Riley's. I was disappointed that he'd rather relax on South Beach rather than welcome the Mecca of basketball, Gotham City in New York to resurrect one of the most historic franchises in NBA history.
As the Heat's 2010-2011 campaign began, they stumbled out of the gate, beginning at 9-8 before a furious 13-game winning streak. The onslaught of criticism, hate, and disdain for someone who was once America's hero began to rain down, hard. Hating LeBron James became the new go-to for journalists and a popular topic of bar conversations.
People wrote dissecting articles explaining, in their own fair or unfair metrics, the mechanics of what exactly LeBron lacked, forgoing his MVP-level performance on the court. LeBron wasn't an alpha dog. LeBron's a follower. He isn't clutch, he isn't a leader. The worst of it came when the comparisons to legends such as Magic or Michael surfaced again, this time in a negative edition. "Jordan wouldn't have done that", became the most popular premise for deriding and unscrupulously destroying LeBron publicly.
I rooted against Miami for at least sixty games in 2011. I'm not really sure when the page turned. It may have been when Derrick Rose won the MVP award. How could a point guard who you could comfortably debate might not be the best guy at his position win the MVP over the guy who had dominated the league for the past three years, and putting up a historic, Oscar-like 27-7-7? LeBron reinvented his game on the fly, endured more scrutiny than any pro athlete alive, carried a Heat team that turned out to be not very deep, defended all five positions at an elite level, and prevented his team from falling apart when everyone else was folding under the pressure of being America's Most Wanted. I couldn't believe the voters, after 82 games, couldn't look past that one-hour special.
I couldn't believe the national media didn't see what I saw. I couldn't believe that everyone who had their detractions of LeBron couldn't realize that most of their criticisms of him stemmed from flawed logic. You want to talk about how Magic or MJ wouldn't have done that? Yeah, I wouldn't have left the Los Angeles Lakers, the best franchise in NBA history in the best city, either. Oh, by the way, he also had two Hall of Famers in Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy on his team, too. I wouldn't have left Chicago, either, if I had the best coach in NBA history, with another HOF'er and top-20 player of all-time, Scottie Pippen on my team, either.
When I saw what Magic said, I couldn't help but feel horribly disappointed at how incredibly unfair and hypocritical Magic was being. LeBron was in Cleveland, with Mike Brown, an aging Shaq, and a bunch of nobodies. Is there a worse sports city than Cleveland? Is there a worse city in general than Cleveland? Was there a worst offensive coach around than Mike Brown? How could LeBron not leave for greener pastures? Looking back, I almost think it was irresponsible of him to not leave. Hell, if he didn't, the media probably would have lambasted him for not being more aggressive in pursuing his legacy and the chance to get himself a couple of rings.
When the Heat self-destructed in the 2011 NBA Finals, I couldn't help but feel sorry for LeBron. Here was the ultimate validation to the increasingly mind-numbingly dull criticism that flew his way. It was then that I realized that there probably wasn't a valid premise to all of the criticism surrounding LeBron other than how America is wired.
America's hallmark is about the underdog, and most of America view entertainment in a certain genre. By that I mean, casting villains and heroes. All sports movies are based off of an underdog overtaking the unstoppable juggernaut. All great tales of success revolve around people who had nothing growing up and worked their asses off to become wildly successful. America identifies with people they can relate to. LeBron was the opposite of that; he was always a child prodigy archetype who had literally everything handed to him: talent, shoe deals, media attention.
LeBron James didn't resonate or represent a huge part of the American basketball fanbase. If he was the face of basketball stardom, what does that tell to every young kid trying to make it in the NBA who isn't 6'8″, physical like a football player, and have impossibly natural skills it feels unfair? In Cleveland, everyone supported him because he felt like a superhero. He was somebody who had all these gifts, yet he chose to be a martyr and be the resident hero of his hometown. When he jumped ship to Miami, he officially joined the juggernauts. He was essentially Ty Crane from Coach Carter, the captain of the Monstars, or the prison guards who bullied Paul Crewe and the inmates. He was a villain, through and through, even though he wasn't meant to be.
The national media hated him because most of them had grown up watching the NBA's golden age with the 80′s Celtics, Lakers, or the '90′s Bulls. They didn't like the way superstars were being afforded more and more luxury and freedom. They didn't like the fact that superstars could petulantly demand trades because they felt like it and control an entire franchise. They believed in traditions, almost that Michael, Magic, and Larry had set some sort of unwritten superstar code that none of the post-millenium superstars seemed interested in upholding. What did the code entail? Show up, don't complain, lead, come through in the clutch, seem like you're way too consumed with basketball to have a social life, and become fixated with being the best of your ability. Most importantly, you need to be obsessed with defeating your rivals and contemporaries. When LeBron teamed with Wade, many people thought he was teaming with his greatest rival. As well all found out, LeBron's greatest rival for the next decade will be Kevin Durant, not a 30-year old, declining shooting guard.
Just as a lack of title is the ultimate contrarian argument to anything positive that can be said about LeBron's evolution, a title is the ultimate validation to anything positive about LeBron's evolution. The Heat winning the 2012 title allows me to fully admit that we are going to witness the career of one of the top-five greatest, potentially the greatest ever, basketball player ever. History says that when you get one early on in your career (and it is relatively early, LeBron's body will allow him to play at least another decade, plus MJ was a year older than LeBron at his first title), you will get another. Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, the list goes on of superstars who won early, tasted success and as a result of that dedication, never stopped chasing subsequent titles.
I'm not sure LeBron will have that same satisfaction in the validation of winning the title. To be honest, he might be just feeling relief that he finally won one. But the critics can only shut up for a day, and LeBron will never be short of motivational reasons for him to keep playing like the LeBron we saw this past Thursday. Will the last two years represent the greatest challenge, scrutiny, and public humiliation for LeBron? Amazingly, probably not. American sports media will find some way to discredit him after one bad year.
What I can say is that to me, as a fan, I don't really care what motivates LeBron anymore. That's just one more thing that I could, if I were a critic, picked him a part for. All I know is that everyone has their tick that drives them to compete, motivate themselves and be the best it can be. I'm not sure LeBron's tick is the same as MJ's; MJ just wanted to be the best and destroy his opponents for his own personal, almost demonically competitive satisfaction.
Looking at LeBron, I think his tick might be simple. He made a terrible Decision, watched America turn their backs on him, and his heart was shattered at the fact that no longer was he the adored and perfect "Chosen One" that seemed to do no wrong. Now he's on Miami, now he has the city, teammates, chance to win titles. Still, a good amount of America will criticize, and hate him for virtually no reason whatsoever. What if LeBron's motivation is as simple as making everyone like him again? What if he realizes that he can't ever undo what he did, and that if he just stops trying to please everyone, plays spectacularly, wins, everyone will have no choice but to leave him alone or jump on the bandwagon, again?
Somewhere out there, somebody is criticizing LeBron for that notion I just pointed out above. But for me, a basketball fan who is finally glad that we're actually talking about the greatest basketball player alive for his merits on the court? I don't care. That's good enough for me. If I can keep witnessing LeBron coming back from a cramp to bury a three in the clutch moments, or callously assassinated the Celtics in Game 6, I'll take it.
It's finally about basketball again, for some of us, at least. We are all witnesses.
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